The Unexpected Visitor
by ExtraordinarilyxInsane
Summary: As Harry feels like his relationship with Ginny is falling apart, Someone from his past arrives on his doorstep. One shot.


Harry Potter stood in front of the mirror and brushed his hair out of his eyes. It was getting unmanageable now and he knew he needed a haircut as Ginny kept nagging him about it. When he brushed his hair back he saw his scar. His lightning bolt scar that Voldemort gave him when he was a baby hadn't hurt in many years. The war was over and Voldemort was gone. Many things had changed since then.

"Daddy!" Lily Rose Potter shouted from behind him. He turned around and scooped his little girl into his arms and swung her around.

"How's my little angel?" he asked as he stopped spinning. He was getting dizzy, so he walked over to the bed and placed Lily down. He knew if Ginny walked in and saw Lily standing on the bed with her shoes on she would throw a fit, so he moved her to the floor.

After her feet were on the floor, Lily ran out of the bedroom and Harry couldn't do anything but laugh. His children always made him laugh, especially at the young age of four. When Lily came back into the room, she held up a picture that she had made that consisted of stick figures and scribblings.

"Is that us?" Harry asked as he looked at it. It seemed about right and Harry had to laugh as Ginny was portrayed through the red crayon. Ginny's hair color couldn't even escape the notice of a four year old.

"Honey," he heard his wife's voice calling up the stairs. "Please don't forget Ron and Hermione are coming over for supper!"

Harry nodded, knowing Ginny couldn't see. He had already predicted her next words the second his head moved and not his lips and tongue.

"Harry? Did you hear?"

"Yes, Hun," Harry called back.

He listened to her footsteps as she walked away into the kitchen, he heels clicking on the tiled floor. She had changed a lot after school ended. Her tastes grew and she was enjoying the better side of life. All you had to do was take a look at the house or the way she dressed to be able to see that. She was more mature, but she wasn't the simple country, almost poor girl that he came to love. He loved her still, but things had changed. She had moved them into the muggle community and wanted to make an appearance, but maybe Harry should have said his opinion on what was too much.

He knew Ginny downstairs would be getting impatient if he didn't make an appearance soon, so he slipped into the bathroom connected to his and Ginny's bedroom to get dressed. When he looked around he saw a matching marble sink, bathtub, and toilet. An elegant mirror that he was looking in earlier was carried in a gold, snake-like frame. Harry thought Ginny didn't really see how ironic it was when she bought it.

Harry quickly changed into a T-shirt and a pair of jeans and stepped out. His daughter, Lily was waiting for him by the door and motioned that she wanted to be picked up. He obliged and scooped her up again and spun around. As he spun, he took in the room for the first time in awhile.

A red bedspread was the center of the room. Red and gold pillows covered the bed and the carpet was pure white. Harry was always worried that something would get dropped onto the floor and stain it. Ginny would have a heart attack then and Harry couldn't stand that thought, but he also didn't understand why Ginny would have chosen a white carpet when they had planned on having children. Children were messy and she had to have known growing up in a family with a bunch of kids that they were messy, so why all of the luxury items in the house? Hell, the house had its own garden in the middle of the house. It was like someone took a square cookie cutter to the middle of the house and placed plants in tight, neat little rows for no other purpose than to look pretty. No one even took care of them, but the children didn't know that. Ginny used magic.

James, Albus, and Lily knew magic existed. James was already at Hogwarts for it and Ginny missed him terribly. Albus and Lily knew that one day they would get their letter and see the place that Voldemort had torn down in frenzy. They would hear the stories about how their father and friends had battled some form of evil every year. It actually made Harry wonder if he even wanted to send them there, but he knew Ginny would throw a fit about his opinion if he brought it up. Her entire family went to Hogwarts as did Harry's parents. How could he even think about sending his children to a different school? He knew he couldn't bring it up.

He stepped out of the bedroom and looked around the hall. Expensive photos hung on the wall from photography to still life paintings. The family portrait was somewhere amongst all the art, but Harry wasn't able to put his finger on where. He was reminded to ask Ginny later. When he turned the corner, he almost ran smack into Ginny's new purchase. A marble statue of a stranger was against the wall. He knew he would have to remember it was there or the early mornings heading to work at the Ministry of Magic could hurt him. Next came the grand staircase. It didn't spiral down or anything and some strangely designed carpet that contained the colors of all four Hogwarts houses hugged each step tightly. Red for Gryffindor, yellow for Hufflepuff, blue for Ravenclaw, and green for Slytherin. The colors were present throughout the house, even though Ginny and Harry were both in Gryffindor. They were so happy when James got placed in the same one.

As soon as Harry's foot touched the last step to the floor the doorbell rang. Lily squirmed out of his arms and rushed to the door. Harry knew he should have told her to stop, but he knew it was Ron and Hermione behind the door. They were the only people that they were expecting.

"Please tell me you're not wearing that," Ginny nagged at Harry for the way he was dressed as soon as she entered the room.

Harry rolled his eyes. He was going to ignore that comment as he knew Ron and Hermione wouldn't care how he was dressed as long as he wasn't running around stark naked. Instead of replying, he kept his eyes on his daughter who was now pulling the front double doors open with all her strength. It wasn't who he thought would be there.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked demandingly. "You aren't welcome here."

Petunia Dursley remained in the doorway holding her heavy coat closed and clutching her purse. Snowflakes lightly fell upon her head, but she ignored them. Her cheeks and nose were red and whether it was from embarrassment or the cold, Harry couldn't tell.

"Well?" Ginny demanded again.

"Ginny, stop," Harry scolded her. He then turned his attention back to Petunia who looked cold. "Come in."

Petunia began to take a step inside, but Ginny spoke up again.

"How can you even consider…" but Harry interrupted her.

"I don't think I'd be where I am today if it wasn't for the little bit this woman did for me," He burst. "Do you wish we weren't here?"

Ginny didn't reply, but instead walked up to Lily, picked her up and stormed out of the room. Harry knew it would be an argument later, but at this moment he didn't care. He was curious to know why Petunia was here of all places and wondered what she wanted. He stepped up to the door and motioned once again for her to step in and she did. Harry then moved behind her, closed the door and stepped up behind her to help remove her coat. He placed it on the coat rack by the door and led her to the sitting room.

When they were seated, neither one spoke for awhile meaning Harry was left alone with his thoughts. He couldn't really understand Ginny's obsession with money, wealth or the past. Why was she obsessed with his past and not her own?

_Females,_ Harry thought to himself and rolled his eyes.

"Harry," Petunia finally spoke, but that was as far as she went. She paused and looked down at her hands, which she was busy tangling her fingers together.

Things began to feel awkward and Petunia and Harry both looked around the extravagant room as long as it meant not looking at each other. The red couches were the focus of the room and after that, the fireplace was next. The bricks the constructed it were a mixture of colors from brown, red-brown, orange-red, and a mixture of all three somewhere in the middle. More portraits and photos hung on the wall some of people Harry didn't know. He hated those photos and wanted to do nothing but throw them in the fireplace and light them all on fire as the paper burnt to ashes.

"I just…" Petunia began again. "Vernon… Vernon has passed away."

Petunia looked like she was about to cry as tears swelled in her eyes.

"Dudley won't talk to me either," Petunia admitted. "Everything is gone and I didn't know where else to go. I did things wrong in the past and I needed you to know…"

Harry watched helplessly as tears fell down her face. It was the first time Harry had ever seen her show that much emotion and he was clueless about his aunt. He seemed saved when Lily came skipping in. When she saw the older woman crying she looked at Harry as if asking for permission. After he nodded, she stepped right up and gave Petunia a hug.

"Please no cry," Lily said in her innocent voice.

Petunia managed to stifle her sobs and looked at the sweet, red-haired girl who hugged her and didn't judge her for her past actions. It was hard enough on her for Harry's wife demanding her to leave. She would leave as soon as she told Harry, so she turned her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry," she managed to get out as she wrapped her arms around her great niece. "I know I never stood up for you and I should have. You were, after all, my responsibility. I failed you."

Harry shook his head.

"You never failed me, Aunt Petunia," he said and placed his hand on hers. "I know you were scared and I know things weren't easy. You lost a sister…"

"I lost everything," she said. She then dug in her purse and pulled out a tissue and wiped her tears away. "But I didn't come here for that. I needed you to know I was sorry for everything from the bottom of my heart."

"I believe you, Aunt Petunia."

"It looks like you have things good here," she observed as she looked around the room. "You have nice, expensive tastes."

Harry rolled his eyes again, hoping Lily didn't see. Even if she did, he knew that she was only four and maybe not know what it meant.

"It's my wife. She's honestly driving me crazy."

At this point Harry didn't care if Ginny was around and heard him. They may have been on the brink of divorce and the thought of losing the woman he fell in love with hurt his heart. They had been together so long that things may have just fell through. Maybe they weren't meant to be together, but he dared not to think about that any longer.

"She's pretty," Petunia said acknowledging Ginny whom she had met earlier. "Harry, I know I'm not the best person to take advice from, but… If you love her, you'll treat her right and you'll make it through. Marriage isn't easy. But, the other side to that is that if she loves you, she would do the same."

Harry nodded in agreement. He knew he and Ginny needed to have a long talk about the future, but things were just too busy right now. Every night it was supper with so and so or supper at this place or that one. It agitated him to his breaking point.

"Whenever you think about giving in, think about this little girl. She needs both of her parents around and think about how happy she is."

Harry did nothing but nod again while Petunia stood.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your life," she said as she picked up her purse.

"You didn't," Harry said as he stood. "Believe me, it was good seeing you again and… The past is the past. Things are better now."

Petunia looked around the room one last time and nodded. Things were awkward for her too, but she needed to come here and say everything, so she did. She felt better about it too and she knew things were coming to an end.

"I should go," she said as she stepped toward the door. Harry nodded and walked her to the door. He picked up her coat and helped slide the sleeves onto her arms and she turned to face him.

Harry looked at her and noticed just how much she had aged over the years. More wrinkles had appeared over her face and deep, dark circles were presented under her eyes. She wore little makeup and she had no jewelry on anymore. Her clothes were plain black; even her coat and purse were made out of material of the plain shade. Harry didn't know what to do, so he did the only think he could think of. He took a step forward and gave the woman who raised him a hug.

"I forgive you," he whispered, knowing it was the three words she came here to hear. More tears fell from the older woman's eyes as the hug broke off.

"Thank you," was all she said before she opened the door and stepped out into the cold, bitter night. She disappeared into the night without a trace, which made Harry worry. She wasn't the perfect woman to grow up with, but she was still the closest person he had to a mother.

"Did she leave?" he heard Ginny ask from behind him.

He closed the door and turned to face his wife.

"Ginny," he began. "I don't know how to say this, but…"

Her eyes swelled up with tears as she thought it was the end. She vowed to herself to change right then and there, but what good would it do if her one love was going to leave her?

"I love you," Harry finished, walked up to his wife and planted a kiss on her lips. Ginny and Harry both remembered why they had fallen in love with the other and things were going to change.


End file.
